Why use the HUB ticket system?
Overview
The HUB is Acadia’s ticketing system for requesting assistance from Technology Services. Like email, it provides a simple way to communicate with support staff, but it also provides tools for assigning, tracking, prioritizing, and managing requests from beginning to end.
Using the HUB helps Technology Services respond efficiently while keeping the history, status, and responsibility for each request in one central location.
Why use the HUB?
1. Get your request to the right people
When you submit a ticket through the HUB, the request enters the Technology Services support workflow. Service Desk staff can review the ticket and assign it to the appropriate person or team.
This is more reliable than sending an email directly to an individual. If that person is away, in meetings, or unavailable, an email may have to wait for their return. A HUB ticket remains available to the support team.
2. Keep everything in one place
The HUB acts as a system of record for your request. The information needed to investigate and resolve an issue can be recorded directly in the ticket, including:
- Your original request.
- Additional information provided during troubleshooting.
- Communication between you and Technology Services.
- Work performed by support staff.
- The current status of the request.
- The final resolution.
Keeping this information together means Technology Services staff do not have to search through individual email accounts or separate conversations to understand what has already happened.
It also provides useful history if a similar problem occurs again.
3. Maintain continuity
Some requests involve more than one Technology Services staff member or team. Others may take longer to resolve and continue across staff schedules, vacations, or absences.
Because the information stays with the ticket rather than an individual, another staff member can review the history and continue working on the request.
This reduces the need for you to repeat information or explain the problem again each time someone new becomes involved.
4. Help us prioritize work
The HUB helps Technology Services organize and prioritize incoming requests so that work can be directed appropriately.
Tickets provide the information needed to assess the request, determine who should handle it, and track it through to completion. This gives Technology Services a more consistent workflow than requests sent to individual staff members by email.
5. See the status of your requests
The HUB provides transparency into the support process. Your submitted tickets remain available in the portal along with their current status.
This allows you to review:
- Requests you have submitted.
- Updates and responses from Technology Services.
- The progress or status of a request.
- The resolution of completed requests.
Keeping communication in the ticket also gives both you and Technology Services a shared history of what has been discussed and completed.
6. Improve collaboration
Technology support often requires collaboration between the Service Desk and other Technology Services teams.
The HUB allows staff to share information and coordinate work without losing the context of the original request. Previous tickets can also help staff understand how similar issues have been investigated or resolved.
For faculty, staff, and students, this means you do not need to determine exactly which Technology Services staff member is responsible before asking for help. Submit the request through the HUB, and the ticket can be directed appropriately.
7. Help Technology Services improve support
The HUB also provides information that Technology Services can use to understand support demand.
Ticket information can help identify:
- Common technical issues.
- Types of requests that occur frequently.
- Areas generating increased demand for support.
- Workload across Technology Services.
- Opportunities to improve documentation, processes, or services.
- Trends that may indicate a broader technical problem.
This information helps Technology Services make informed decisions about resources and continually improve the support provided to the Acadia community.
HUB tickets versus email
| HUB ticket |
Direct email |
| Available to the appropriate support team |
May remain in one person's inbox |
| Can be assigned to the appropriate staff member or team |
May need to be forwarded manually |
| Maintains the request's history in one place |
Information can become spread across email threads |
| Provides a status for the request |
Does not provide a support-workflow status |
| Allows another staff member to continue the work |
May depend on the original recipient being available |
| Supports tracking and reporting |
Provides limited visibility into overall support demand |
Email can still be useful for general communication, but when you need Technology Services to investigate an issue, complete a request, or provide support, submitting a HUB ticket ensures that the request enters the support workflow.
Outcome
Using the HUB gives Technology Services a consistent and reliable way to receive, assign, track, and resolve requests while giving you a central place to follow your request and its resolution.
Submitting a ticket also means that your request is not dependent on the availability of one individual. The information stays with the ticket so the appropriate Technology Services staff can continue the work.
Need help?
Contact the Service Desk by submitting a ticket or by initiating a Live Chat.